Longest distances:
37 kilometers (23 miles) from north to south; 8 kilometers (5 miles) from
east to west

Land boundaries:
None

Coastline:
135 kilometers (84 miles)

Territorial sea limits:
22 kilometers (12 nautical miles)

1 LOCATION AND SIZE

Shaped like an exclamation mark, the popular tourist destinations of
Saint Kitts and Nevis lie in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in
the Eastern Caribbean, with Barbuda to the northeast and Antigua to the
southwest. Covering an area of 261 square kilometers (101 square miles),
Saint Kitts and Nevis is over one-and one-half times the size of
Washington, D.C.

2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES

Saint Kitts and Nevis has no territories or dependencies.

3 CLIMATE

The temperatures recorded on Saint Kitts and Nevis change very little
during the year, due to their close proximity to the equator. Year-round
temperatures average 26°C (79°F) and rarely exceed 32°C
(89°F).

Rainfall is greater and more frequent in higher elevations. Most rain
falls between May and November, with an average annual rainfall of 109
centimeters (43 inches). The summer months are especially humid;
hurricanes are possible in the late summer and early fall months.

4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS

Both Saint Kitts and Nevis are volcanic islands. The larger of the two,
Saint Kitts, contains a dormant volcano, a salt lake, and tropical
forests. The circular island of Nevis, also home to a dormant volcano,
slopes to its highest peak, Nevis Peak, and is home to rich forests and
sandy beaches. Both islands are known for their lush vegetation.

5 OCEANS AND SEAS

Saint Kitts and Nevis are located in the Caribbean Sea.

Seacoast and Undersea Features

While there are coral reefs throughout the Caribbean, none of the reefs
near the islands are of significant size. The highest concentration of
these reefs is near Nag's Head and the southwestern coast of
Saint Kitts. The coral reefs on Saint Kitts, notably those near Sandy
Point Bay, are rich in marine life.

Sea Inlets and Straits

A two-mile-wide channel, known as the Narrows, separates Saint Kitts
from Nevis.

Islands and Archipelagos

Located in the channel separating the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis
is the small Booby Island.

Coastal Features

The coastlines of the islands are rather jagged and indented, with many
bay and beach areas. Located on the southern tip of Saint Kitts are
Majors Bay, Banana Bay, and Cockleshell Bay. Other bays line the
coastline, including Half Moon Bay, Sandy Bay, Frigate and North Frigate
Bays, and North and South Friar's Bays. There are two capes of
interest: Belle Tete, on the northwestern shore of Saint Kitts, and
Nag's Head, at the end of the Frigate Bay Peninsula. The beaches
on both islands range from smooth with white sand to coarse with black
sand. The northern end of Saint Kitts has numerous black volcanic sand
beaches.

6 INLAND LAKES

The Great Salt Pond, located near the southeastern tip of Saint Kitts,
is the only lake of significant size on the islands.

7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS

Most of the rivers on Saint Kitts and Nevis no longer flow year-round.
Those that remain are small and drain from the mountain ranges in the
wet season, drying up partially or completely in the dry season. Two
seasonal rivers of note are the Wingfield and Cayon Rivers, which during
the wet seasons will flow almost to the Caribbean.

8 DESERTS

There are no deserts on Saint Kitts and Nevis.

9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN

Plots of sugarcane cover the foothills of the central mountain range on
Saint Kitts. The island's southern peninsula consists of many low
hills
and expansive reaches of flat terrain, which include large swamps and
marshes of all kinds.

10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES

The major mountain range on the island of Saint Kitts runs through the
middle of the island from northeast to southwest. Rainforests surround
the higher slopes. Mount Misery (also called Mount Liamuiga) is the
highest summit on the island at 1,156 meters (3,793 feet). The highest
peak on Nevis, called Nevis Peak, has an elevation of 985 meters (3,232
feet); it is often capped in white clouds.

11 CANYONS AND CAVES

Coral grottoes located some 12 meters (40 feet) beneath Nevis's
western coast are a popular dive site, providing underwater access to
the island's coral reefs.

12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS

There are no plateaus or significant monoliths on Saint Kitts and Nevis.

13 MAN-MADE FEATURES

Once known as "the Gibraltar of the West Indies,"
Brimstone Hill on the island of Saint Kitts is home to an
eighteenth-century fortress that was restored in the 1960s.